Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear has appointed Derrick Helm, a WKU alumni and career lawyer, to the Board of Regents, WKU announced on Friday.
“The Hill has changed quite a bit since I made my daily walks to Cherry Hall, but the “Spirit” of WKU has not changed,” Helm told the Herald in an email on Monday. “It is still a place of promise and achievement that I am very proud to be a small part of.”
The board, which consists of 11 members, has eight of its members appointed by the governor. The other three (staff, faculty and student regents) are elected by their respective peers.
Helm was nominated to replace Linda Ball, whose term expired at the end of June, by the Governor’s Postsecondary Education Nominating Committee. After filling out an application, Helm said that he was selected by Beshear to become a regent.
Helm will serve on the board through June 30, 2030.
In a statement issued last week, President Timothy Caboni said that he is excited to collaborate with the new regent as the university advances enrollment growth, enhances its research portfolio and builds on WKU’s “recent successes.”
“Derrick’s dedication to his alma mater is a tremendous asset to the Board of Regents,” Caboni said.
Helm graduated from WKU in 2006 before attending the Salmon P. Chase College of Law in Highland Heights, Kentucky, where he graduated from in 2009. Helm now holds his own litigation practice based in Russell County: Helm Shearer Wilson.
Helm joins Chair W. Currie Milliken and Vice-Chair Jan West as three career-attorney regents, and he said that he believes they each bring a different perspective to the board that will complement each other.
“I can say that I am truly a ‘country lawyer’ from rural Kentucky,” Helm said, “And that perspective has always served me well.”
Along with his practice, Helm said that he serves as counsel to multiple non-profit organizations and boards, and he said he has dealt with issues similar to those at WKU on a daily basis.
“I bring not only my experience as board counsel, but also my experience from serving as a board member on other boards,” Helm said.
Although it has been 18 years since he graduated from WKU, Helm said that similar issues that were present while he was a student are still impacting the WKU community today.
“As a Regent, I intend to use my perspective, not only from a professional background, but that of a student who graduated from WKU, to help guide me in making the best decisions for the betterment of the University,” Helm said.
Helm said that he joins the board with “no agenda” other than promoting the best interests of the university and its students.
The Board of Regents will have their annual retreat on Aug. 8, and their next quarterly meeting will be on Aug. 9.
News reporter Cameron Shaw can be reached at [email protected].
